LEBANON, PA - The James Biever Police-Community Alliance (JBPCA) recently presented checks to the Lebanon City Police Department and the South Lebanon Police Department to fund ACT 120 training through the Municipal Police Officers’ Education and Training Commission (MPOETC). Currently, four recruits are receiving training. According to MPOETCs website, basic police officer training “establishes minimum curriculum and training standards for municipal police officers. The curriculum is used by certified municipal police academies throughout the Commonwealth to train prospective police officer cadets.”
Since 2020, the JBPCA has gifted $16,500 to local police
departments for nine recruits, including Lebanon City Police Department (5
recruits), South Lebanon Township Police Department (2 recruits) and the North
Lebanon Township Police Department (2 recruits).
Chief Bret Fisher, Lebanon City Police, noted that the funds received from the JBPCA “alleviates financial burden on the city,” and makes “funds available for other outreach programs.” Chief Ken Zimmerman of the South Lebanon Township Police Department acknowledged the benefit of the funds for helping those that cannot afford to pay for municipal police training, which opens up the opportunity for someone to pursue a career in law enforcement.
Chief Tim Knight of the North Lebanon Township Police Department, a past recipient of JBPCA funding, noted that the funds have provided “the ability to add two needed Police Officers to our department to better serve the residents of North Lebanon Township and Lebanon County.”
Michelle Biever,
President for the JBPCA, stated that one of the key facets of the foundation is
to provide financial support for ACT 120 as well as other educational
opportunities for police officers. The foundation was also responsible
for funding FBI-LEEDA Basic
Supervisor Training for five Lebanon City Officers. “It is our mission to continue to provide educational funding for qualified men and women that will not only benefit our police officers but our local community as well.”
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The James Biever Police-Community Alliance’s mission is to enhance and foster police and community relations while providing financial support to Lebanon County police departments and individuals interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice. The alliance is continuously developing a three-prong approach (scholarship, continuing education, and community relations) to achieve its vision of, “A county where police and its citizens work alongside each other for the greater good.” More information on the James Biever Police-Community Alliance is available at jbpca.org
or by emailing bieverpolicefund@gmail.com.
Pictured above with Michelle Biever, President of the JBPCA are (from left to right): Logan Firestine, Mackenzie Battle, Michelle Biever, Mayor Sherry Capello, Lebanon City Police Chief Bret Fisher, and Lawson Seyfert. Firestine, Battle and Seyfert, Lebanon City recruits, began training at the beginning of January.
Accepting the check from Michelle Biever, President of the JBPCA are (from left to right): Patrolman Kyle Knight, Chief Ken Zimmerman, Michelle Biever, and Patrolman Christopher Moss. Patrolmen Knight and Moss are recent graduates from the Municipal Police Academy, receiving their ACT 120 on December 21, 2023.
